Ford, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University in California, has said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 when both were high school students in Maryland.

On Saturday, a long-time friend of Ford, Leland Ingham Keyser, lent some credence to Kavanaugh's denial: Contrary to Ford's claim that Keyser attended the party 35 years ago, Keyeser said she never met Kavanaugh and was not present at any such party. Kavanaugh immediately and unequivocally denied Ford's charge that, while intoxicated, he pushed her into a bedroom, pinned her to a bed, and attempted to rip off her clothing. Only Kavanaugh is identified in a partially redacted version of the letter that was leaked to the press.

Democrats withheld the allegation until well after Judge Kavanaugh's week of hearings, and went public just before the first scheduled committee vote. As of Sunday afternoon, Ford's attorneys have announced that a deal has been reached for her to testify on Thursday.

Ford initially indicated she wanted to tell her story to the committee, but talks dragged on as her lawyers negotiated terms of her appearance. Ford's lawyers also added details for other witnesses they would like to be called, including two trauma experts; Republicans have so far declined to accommodate that request, the person said.

But they say the Republican-controlled Senate panel hasn't said who will be asking questions of her and Kavanaugh.

A rival framework for considering the Kavanaugh nomination, also has some problems, though: the idea that this is a job application, and thus the senators can reject Kavanaugh even on the slightest suspicion of wrongdoing.

"Judge Kavanaugh would be forced [to] answer about a Washington Post article detailing allegations, not the words of his accuser".

"The law varies by state, in terms of what you are allowed to do, but it's tricky territory", wrote Patrick Chovanec, an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of global and Public Affairs, in a similarly useful Twitter thread.

Hours later, multiple outlets including Politico and The Daily Beast reported the hearing would take place on Thursday, citing sources familiar with a phone call between the committee and Ford's lawyers.

"If they continue to contest those two things there won't be a hearing", Sen.

The New Yorker notes that even the Trump White House "appears to have given up any hope of silencing Ford or dismissing her claims entirely". "We're going to plow right through it and do our job", McConnell said.

Grassley has repeatedly castigated Feinstein for waiting to disclose the letter at a politically opportune moment.

CNNreports that " Keyser is a lifelong friend of Ford's". Kavanaugh could have addressed the accusation during weeks of rigorous vetting by the committee, including three days of public hearings. Although Democratic committee staff members usually would participate in these negotiations, Democrats are refusing to do so because they believe that the investigation into the allegations should be conducted by the FBI. "These are serious allegations that need to be investigated".

Meanwhile, Vice President Pence joined the chorus of renewed Republican support for Kavanaugh on Saturday, telling a crowd of around 2,000 conservative activists at the Values Voters Summit that Kavanaugh "is a man of integrity, with impeccable credentials and a proven judicial philosophy" and that he would soon be confirmed.

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